Can antique (1940s) sink faucets be fixed??

[Asktom]

If you are paying a plumber, change the lavatory. There are few plumbers out there willing to fiddle around with something like that because they will have to charge you for their time, which could be plenty, and you would probably want him to guarantee the work (work that will have an experimental side to it)... also, if something breaks taking it apart do you still pay him or do you expect free replacement? From a plumbers point of view there are way too many ways for it all to go south. If you are doing it yourself on a "rebuilding a classic car" sort of level it is one thing, paying to get it done is another.

 

[crcurrie]

If you are paying a plumber, change the lavatory. There are few plumbers out there willing to fiddle around with something like that because they will have to charge you for their time, which could be plenty, and you would probably want him to guarantee the work (work that will have an experimental side to it)... also, if something breaks taking it apart do you still pay him or do you expect free replacement? From a plumbers point of view there are way too many ways for it all to go south. If you are doing it yourself on a "rebuilding a classic car" sort of level it is one thing, paying to get it done is another.

That's a good summary of the reasons why I'm thinking of jerry-rigging it myself, without taking anything apart. I would be more than happy if I could limit the leak and redirect it back into the drain system, for the price of a couple inexpensive items I could pick up at HD or an auto-supply store. But maybe that's a vain hope? I have zero experience in this area ...

 

[Sponsor]

 

[crcurrie]

No pig slop here ...

Sure rig it why not...

Now you have the answer you were shopping for go do it!

Your tenant will love your handiwork...

Maybe the tenant will post pictures here...

Redwood, I've improved upon my original idea. How does this look?



With the bendy straw, I don't need to mess with the putty twice -- the drip goes straight into the weep hole on top of the overflow channel ...

 

[Obama the Plumber]

I live in the DC area too, and I wouldn't touch that one either.
I'm surprised the plumber even tried.
Many times when plumbing is taken out, there's a reason.

A new faucet and wall hung lav are just not that much money. And the plumber would have had it installed the first try.

But you ask if we know how to fix that?
The last time I saw something like that, it was in the 50's, on the way to the dump.

 

[Redwood]

Redwood, I've improved upon my original idea. How does this look?

View attachment 11099

With the bendy straw, I don't need to mess with the putty twice -- the drip goes straight into the weep hole on top of the overflow channel ...

LOL That bendy straw technology is the wave of the future!

Glad you didn't take offense to the post...

There is some humor here!

 

[DrunkPlumber]

Yes, it can be repaired. Faucet appears to be either American Standard or Briggs. Parts should be available, they are here in Cincy. Also, if you remove the handles and escuthions from the front of the faucet you will have access to bonnet nuts that hold the faucet on. Remove these anf the faucet will come out the rear of the sink. Then loosen the nut on the rear of the spout slightly. Buy some sheet rubber and cut a washer to fit SNUGGLY over the spout nipple and slighty larger than the nut. Apply putty on the washer. Re-install faucet and tighten front bonnet nuts, then, snug spout nut from the rear. Re-install escuthions and handles. Ready to go. HIC!!

 

[ilya]

I have had good success with rubber hose that fits tightly-so it bulges when tightened. If you are lucky enough to have a local small hardware store you can probably buy it by the foot. You'd probably find the wall brackets there, too. I tell my clients up front if I need to make a part, that I can't guarantee it, and I'll do my best for them. If I fail, I offer a small refund. Out of a half-dozen failures, only one person took me up on the refund and they've all had me out to do other work ( not always plumbing however). Yesterday I scheduled a woman who'd been told her wallhung toilet from the 20's was not repairable and was junk. I have three sets of the needed parts in my van, one component of which someone has pictured above as an example of an older style seal. The appreciation of clients like her is very satisfying, and is a big part of why I'm in the trades.Forget Home Depot-they're never any help for this kind of thing. Kissler is one source that your hoped-for neighborhood hardware store may get you parts from. If we were in the same town I'd give it a whirl for ya!

 

[Redwood]

I can't afford to do that. Is this such a difficult repair, or is my plumber just not comfortable with old plumbing fixtures? The guy at the salvage yard said that a plumber who's used to working with old sinks would be able to make any necessary repairs.

I have a tenant scheduled to move in next week. Can't afford to buy a new sink. Any suggestions of what to do?? Are these gaskets impossible to find, and how would I go about finding a local plumber who can do this work? (I'm near Washington, D.C.) View attachment 11082View attachment 11083

I hope you got it fixed.
It's been 8 days since your original post and I figure that if you were charging $500/mo you have already lost $131.52 in rent money if it's not finished...

That sink and new faucet at lowes suddenly seems cheap at $78 doesn't it...

 

[crcurrie]

The exciting conclusion ...

Redwood, yes, I did get it fixed -- and I have you and your photo on the Pig Slop Forum to thank!

It didn't cost me $131.52 (my tenant doesn't arrive 'til tomorrow); it didn't even set me back $78.

It cost me $5 for a tube of Jen-Weld epoxy putty, $50 for my plumber to reinstall the sink after the fix, and ... a spare bendy straw from my kids' cupboard ...



As you'll note, it's triple-fault redundant. If putty doesn't fully seal, then water escapes through bendy straw and into overflow channel via weep hole at top. If water escapes bendy-straw drain, then putty rim around top of channel collects water and it drains into overflow channel.

I WIN THE 2010 PIG SLOP CONTEST!!

More seriously, though, I do appreciate everyone's comments and suggestions. If I'd had more time, I would have pursued the rubber hose gasket strategy.

So far, though, the fix seems to be working. Of course, it's only been about eight hours ...

Have a great weekend!

 

[Redwood]

That's Awesome!

You get the Seal of Approval

Now about that cross-connection from the drain to the spout....
Hope nobody gets sick from it...

 

[crcurrie]

Now about that cross-connection from the drain to the spout....
Hope nobody gets sick from it...

Uh-oh ... get's sick how? You mean sewer gases coming up from the drain?

I doubt too much is going to get into the water flow from the drain -- the gas has to navigate up the straw and through the old gasket. I would guess that any gas that gets past the trap would take the path of least resistance and escape through the outer perimeter of the weep hole, or actually, would just go straight out the drain at the bottom of the sink basin ...

The "Water Weld" putty is supposed to be safe for potable water ...

In any case, thanks for the Handyman seal. I shared that with my neighbors at a potluck this evening and they were in disbelief. They think, with some justification, that I need to call an electrician just to change a light bulb. ;-)

 

[Asktom]

Did you drill a hole into the overflow? If not, it seems more likely it is a vent hole put there so the lav wouldn't blow up in the kiln when they fired it.

 

[crcurrie]

Did you drill a hole into the overflow? If not, it seems more likely it is a vent hole put there so the lav wouldn't blow up in the kiln when they fired it.

The hole was there already (and was also on an identical sink at the salvage yard that was manufactured two years previously, in 1938). I was thinking it was there to allow air to escape if the sink basin was overflowing into the channel, but I guess it wouldn't really be needed for that purpose. Thanks for explaining it.

 

[Redwood]

Uh-oh ... get's sick how? You mean sewer gases coming up from the drain?

I doubt too much is going to get into the water flow from the drain -- the gas has to navigate up the straw and through the old gasket. I would guess that any gas that gets past the trap would take the path of least resistance and escape through the outer perimeter of the weep hole, or actually, would just go straight out the drain at the bottom of the sink basin ...

The "Water Weld" putty is supposed to be safe for potable water ...

In any case, thanks for the Handyman seal. I shared that with my neighbors at a potluck this evening and they were in disbelief. They think, with some justification, that I need to call an electrician just to change a light bulb. ;-)

It probably wouldn't be bad if there was an air gap but the tube makes a direct connection from the drain to the spout...

Funky things grow in drains, even in overflows perhaps more so because of the lack of flow through there to flush things out.

I don't believe it is a problem for sewer gases because the p-trap should stop that. Carry on your doing a marvelous job....

 

[Asktom]

I think your flex-straw just directs a possible leak into a void in the lav and not into the drain. I can't see a lav designed so that if the drain stopped up water would leak out the hole onto the floor before it reached the top, I would consider that an engineering flaw, not a feature. I certainly have never seen such. The good news is the water is not connected to the drain. The bad news is that if you get a drip you have created a stinky reservoir.

 

[Redwood]

No it is in fact a hole in the top of the sink overflow that the tube was set into...

 

[Asktom]

Huh, must be above the flood level. I stand corrected. Well, it won't stink. Might not be the best drinking, though.

 

[NHmaster3015]

Has this all been some sort of a grand spoof?

Please, someone tell me that that bendy straw and putty are a joke............. Or should I add that picture to my vast collection ( over 4000 and going strong ) of truly amazing plumbing things.

 

[Redwood]

Has this all been some sort of a grand spoof?

Please, someone tell me that that bendy straw and putty are a joke............. Or should I add that picture to my vast collection ( over 4000 and going strong ) of truly amazing plumbing things.

Wally this is the real deal...

Pig Slop Plumbing at its best!

 

[NHmaster3015]

A bendy straw.... for real?